Roccanti's Marriage Revenge - Lynne Graham
Mills & Boon Modern
Harlequin UK, 2012
ISBN: 9780263890464
My rating
From the back cover:
"Engaged heiress risks all with mystery man!
Vitale Roccanti's plan was simple - sleep with the daughter to get to the father. What could go wrong? But staring at the black and white headline that announces the success of his plan doesn't feel half as satisfying as Zara did beneath his touch.
Zara Blake is shattered by the public expose of the night she risked it all - and lost. She betrayed her father, and his plans for her marriage, for one chance at passion. But that's nothing compared to the headline that will come in nine month's time!"
This is the latest from Lynne Graham, and I have been both excited and worried about reading this...
The heroine Zara has lived in the shadow of her controlling and abusive parents all her life, never having the confidence to stand up for herself. Her father wants her to marry an important business associate of his, and Zara thinks that a marriage of convenience will suit her. She meets the hero Vitale when he hires her company to design the garden for his Tuscan villa. Zara is surprised by the desire and attraction she feels towards Vitale, a bad experience in her youth has left her weary of men, and she begins to rethink her marriage plans. Vitale has only one thing on his mind and that is revenge against the man responsible for his beloved sister's death - Zara's father. He plans to seduce Zara and make it publicly known therefore ruining her father's business merger. However he is not expecting Zara to be innocent, in every sense, or that he would not be able to forget her. Zara is kicked out of her home and family for what happened with Vitale but tries to make the most of her new freedom even if it is a struggle. But then Vitale comes back into her life and they discover she is pregnant, and suddenly Zara once again feels trapped.
I had a difficult time trying to rate this one, I really liked it but at times it did annoy me a little bit. Overall though, I really liked it, it is certainly much more 'Lynne Graham-ish' than her last couple.
Let's get the stuff I didn't like out of the way first - Firstly, the hero! His whole plan is a little darn cruel, and it didn't sit well with me, and also at 29 years old he seemed a little too young to for his situation in life. Secondly, I do wish this hadn't been an accidental pregnancy plot, it feels a little too convenient and there is enough story to create another form of conflict that wouldn't be as clichéd. And thirdly, I am getting slightly bored of the whole 'hero thinks the heroine is some kind of tart so that is a good enough excuse for his behaviour' thing.
Now for the good stuff! The writing is flawless, very evocative, and it drew me into the story almost from the start and kept me interested throughout. I enjoyed the actual story as well, it surprised me how much I did! The chemistry between he hero and heroine is awesome, it bounces right off the pages. Lastly, the bunny who watches MTV is a nice little charming touch, and made me grin - I always like the inclusion of animals in Lynne Graham's books!
Despite some details not being great, I did really like this one. Does deserve a better title though.
Xx
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